While the Milwaukee Brewers continue to struggle through a nasty pink-eye breakout, the Toronto Blue Jays could be facing an injury bug spurred by everyday bodily functions.
ESPN reports Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar will miss time after straining an oblique with a hard sneeze Saturday morning.
Pillar told reporters he felt a sharp pain in his right side after sneezing during the Blue Jays' spring training tilt against the New York Yankees. He continued to play through the fifth inning of Saturday's game but eventually sought treatment.
"I don't think this is a big deal," Pillar said. "It's something I played with [Saturday] and something I was prepared to play with today. But they're being very respectful about it and willing to give me a little bit of time."
The prognosis remains day-to-day, but Pillar could reportedly miss anywhere between seven and 10 days recovering from the sneeze. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said he'd rather give Pillar ample time to heal than try to rush him back into service.
"Just knowing how long obliques can linger," Anthopoulos said. "I remember when Rajai Davis said he had a small one and could play through it. He did for another two weeks and then it got worse and he was on the shelf for about three weeks. Take the week, get it out of the way and he'll be fine."
While a bummer for Pillar, it's not officially baseball season until a player injures himself doing something thousands of other people manage to do safely on a daily basis. This isn't MLB's first sneeze-strain (Sammy Sosa saw to that), and it won't be its last.
Pillar seems to be handling things with a smile.
That's all you can do in these instances—laugh at nature's cruel humor and get back in the game when the healing is done.
Pillar is batting .269 through 26 plate appearances, with one home run and five RBI. He's currently in contention for a starting job in the outfield, and if he can manage his sneezes more consistently, he could be a real asset to this Blue Jays team.
Godspeed and bless you, good sir.
Dan is on Twitter. He may or may not have thrown out his back sneezing before.
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